NavList:

Jon Myhre in his book "The Discovery of Flight 19" gets the credit for discovering the first leg quandry.  But if one looks at the Official Navy Report and its corresponding Exhibits from 1945 you'll see that there is a disparaging inaccuracy about Navigational Exercise #1.  Keep in mind that Lt. Taylor allegedly had not flown Exercise#1 before and had recently transferred in from NAS Miami was late for take off and for whatever reason requested to be relieved.  According to the report the first leg required traveling on a 91° Azimuth to Hens and Chickens (Shoal/Rocks). BUT....the exhibit for problem 1 shows an azimuth of 97°.  So it doesn't matter which one was is accurate in the eyes of the board witnesses what matters is what was accurate in the mind of Lt. Taylor.

However: even if Taylor did decide that 97° was correct, it doesn't seem that this azimuth would have put the group on the bombing run at the SS Sapona, unless on the fly Taylor made that call.  Considering that at 1,000 feet visibility at the time would have allowed them to see the ship, could they have also seen the light house on Great Isaac Caye/key?  Either way according to the Director of the NAS Ft. Lauderdale Museum, Flight-19 flew the 91 degrees and bombed an ink target or bouy of Great Isaacs.